Ala. Would-Be Burglars Escape on Horses

Published 7:00 pm, Tuesday, February 25, 2003

Would-be burglars trying to steal from a gas station galloped away on horseback and made a clean getaway, police say.

The culprits had cut the phone line and were apparently trying to disarm the alarm at an Amoco gas station in Cherokee on Sunday night.

"But somebody must have spooked them, and they left on horse," Police Chief Paul Norman said.

Investigators took plastic casings of hoof prints outside the station and were on the lookout for anybody who spotted the four-legged getaway accomplice.

"I've never heard of anything like this before," Norman said. "Here comes the Jesse James gang back again."

In another bizarre case in Tuscumbia, police didn't have any hoof prints to go on, but perhaps some ring around the tub? Police said a burglar took a bath and turned on the ceiling fan before making off with a 19-inch television and some jewelry Friday.